Assessing Residents' Perceptions of Their Relocation to Long-Term Care: Psychometric Validation of the View of Relocation Scale

Abstract

Objectives: Relocation to long-term care is a major challenge for older people. The View of Relocation Scale (VRS) was developed to address the need for a brief instrument to assess residents' perceptions of the relocation.

Design: Secondary analysis of data collected in a cluster randomized trial. The psychometric properties of the VRS examined in this study included factorial structure (using exploratory factor analysis), unidimensionality (Rasch modeling), internal consistency reliability (Kuder-Richardson Formula 20, squared multiple correlations, and item-total correlations), and known groups validity (analysis of variance). The results were used to identify the psychometrically most robust items for inclusion into the final version of the instrument.

Setting and participants: Participants were 202 long-term care residents in Melbourne, Australia (mean age = 85.52 years, standard deviation = 7.33), who had relocated to the facility a mean of 4.4 weeks previously. Residents with moderately severe and severe dementia were excluded.

Measures: The VRS was developed following a review of the literature describing residents' views of relocation and was designed for administration shortly after their relocation.

Results: There was support for a 2-factor, 10-item solution, with separate subscales assessing Perceived Control (degree of control in the decision making and planning for the relocation) and Perceived Need (perceived need for the relocation to long-term care). Participants who were admitted directly from hospital reported higher perceived need but lower perceived control than those admitted to the facility from home.

Conclusion and implications: The VRS can be used to understand the impact of older people's perceptions of relocation to long-term care on their subsequent adjustment and well-being, and to identify those who may benefit from tailored support.

Keywords: Adjustment; instrument development; long-term care; nursing home; relocation; residential aged care; transition.